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The main problem
with BPB is space. That there is any at all is a miracle. BPB struggle
so badly with space, that they now combine rides over others. A great
example of this shows on the Pepsi-Max Big One. The reason I like this
ride and the reason BPB like this ride so much, is because it takes up
little space. It is also (at the moment) a major attraction which pulls
in larger crowds than expected. This allows BPB to concentrate on more
advanced projects, whilst it's visitors crowd the smaller rides.
The ride itself (and not just
it's area) is fantastic. The track design is pure 'Wild', so you are not
being conned by the title. The mouse cars are rather small, however, if
said, this improves the ride altogether. This is supposed to be the best
Wooden Mouse coaster ever made and it certainly lives up to this.
Of course it does have some
faults.
It can be uncomfortably rough,
especially as it is going through it's golden years, and it is always
best to have one car per person because of the lack of legroom. There
are also a few unwanted break runs that slows the ride down, whereas it
should be crazy the whole way around.
This is still the best ride of
it's kind, despite it's age, and is definitely worth a visit.
Joe C
Without
doubt the wildest ride at the park. Apart from the hilarity of squeezing
my frame into the ride, then squeezing in another person. This roller
coaster is as extreme as any I have ridden. A number of my friends have
been caught out by its mild appearance, but be in no doubt, tackle the
big one first before trying this one. Tremendous fun. It only loses a
mark because of the pain
Paul West
Yes OK, the ride is superb
except I have one little quibble; If there are 2 people in the mouse
car, the lateral Gs are still enough to slam the front rider against the
side. Fine for them but for the poor sod behind whose knees get
crunched? My wife nearly made me unable to walk and our lad was nearly
crippled by his sister. Padding on the sides of the car please! Mark it
down to 4 stars...
David Garner
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A very rough ride but well worth going on.
The ride has every thing you need for thrills and drops and a good punch.
Catherine.
A rough bumpy ride but the drops made
up for it. The only disadvantage is the small cars - riding alone is a
necessity! A brilliant coaster for some thrills and spills.
Debbie Harvey
BPB's sublimely superb
Wild Mouse was first constructed in 1958 to a more traditional design,
were the lift hill led straight into the switchback/zigzag section, but
it was modified in the early 60's when the top gliding layer was added,
to the the plans of the Valere Bros. modified mouse coaster at Queens
Park, California. (the very same park where Harry Traver's awesome
Cyclone Racer once stood!). Although the addition of the top layer
removed half of the switchback section, it made the ride a third longer
and actually made it FASTER!!
I visited BPB twenty times
this year (2003) and god knows how many times I rode the Mouse (I'm
going to try and count from next year) but in a single one-hour
exclusive ride session on the ECC trip, I rode the Nash four times and
the Mouse seven times;- in a row! I ALWAYS ride the Mouse on my own,
sometimes to the point of arguing with the operator... I'm sorry but I
damn well value my knees!! I don't know his name, but the Mouse op with
the moustache always seems to have a smile on his face when he sees me, especially
when I come round that last turn with my arms in the air and a HUGE
smile on my face!! (as happens EVERY time!) I won't give it full marks,
simply because of the evil trims that sometimes randomly slow me to
walking pace when riding... I know they are necessary as maintenance
would probably be too high if the little 5ft mice were let to scurry
about at full speed all the time.. but take away those trims, and it'd
be a 5/5 from me!! As with many BPB rides, Mouseeee is a true a gem of
amusement park history, and does it's job far better than most modern
rides will ever do.. the day my friend Mouseee leaves this world, will
be the day a part of me dies!!
Peter Proctor
I didn't ride Blackpool's mouse until
about a week ago. I didn't even know it existed, despite travelling
there with my family almost every once a month when growing up. It is a
hidden little gem, barely accessible (my 100 kgs frame barely squeezing
through the turnstile). I wandered through the mostly-unused queue,
happy to be about to ride something new. Little cars whizzed around
above my head, tilting precariously, each accompanied by a loud scream.
My turn! I looked down at the tiny car with disbelief, then clambered
into the little innocent car, and another person followed. It was
surprisingly comfortable; they'd applied bits of padding to the sides of
the cars.
The tiny car moved out of the station
with a jolt, and the car navigated a 180 degree turn, and clattered up
the lift. At the top, another car whizzed just above us, nearly taking
our heads off. The car slips past the ghost train roof, giving us a
slight taste of what horrors are to be catered to us by this little
mouse. The trim brakes aren't on; we plough into the first drop, both of
us coming up off the little seat and down with a bang at the bottom and
shooting back up to the zig-zags. We zip through one, and another, and
another, gathering incredible speed; with each turn the front of the car
comes off the side of the track before tilting and whipping round. I
scream on each go-round. Our little car flies over two drops very very
very fast, launching us out of the seat and into fits of laughter.
Structure whizzes by, the car picking up speed, faster, faster, before
flying out of the structure and slamming round a rather long bend over
the queue. I scream, the car building!
steam for the fantastic finale. We can
feel the car going faster and faster, reaching amazing speeds, barrelling
towards the lift hill in one of the most frightening parts on a roller coaster,
and manoeuvre a near-impossible right-left pair of turns, and a sudden
dip ensures that there is no recovering on this nightmarishly fast
little flight, throwing us into the air, then, at incredible speeds,
blasting towards a very solid wall before turning at fantastic speeds,
throwing us into the side of the car, and barrelling through one last
turn, and ramming into the brakes.
The whole finale takes about ten
seconds.
A fantastic ride with an insane finale,
this little ride should be ridden on each visit to the pleasure beach,
though one trip is enough to satisfy anyone.
Pros:
-Takes up a tiny amount of space (this
is vital at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, for even a chips stand struggles to
find a spot among the clutter and madness of the park)
-Unique
-Forceful
-Rough in a good way
-Satisfying
Cons:
-Can be painful
-A bit of a squeeze to fit
I love how this ride is fantastically
unique, and is built with the idea (as John Phillips pointed out),
saying "Make the ride extreme, if it's too much for people, they
don't have to ride it", The Big One's shallow hills and re-profiled
(i.e., sanitised) first drop perfectly demonstrate the philosophy of
"if the people can't handle it, tame it down for them".
Cosmo Jenkins
I LOVE this ride, its a shame it does
not bigger, it's totally insane with nearly out of control feeling. The
corners are wicked as you think the cars are gonna get ripped off when
there are 2 people in the car. Wish Blackpool was near to where I live.
James Culver
I find this ride
terrifying. Not only do I fear the mouse will fly off the track at any
moment, but it bashes me about something rotten, the track is absolutely
devilish, the cars are small, poky and rely on using the other passenger
as padding, and I've got to duck on the lift hill to avoid my head
getting ripped off by a passing mouse overhead.
For all these reasons
the ride deserves a 5 out of 5.
David Wilcock
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